


A Soldier and His Charge

by Star_stream



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Chapter 2 will be better i promise, Except is Ed instead of Roy, Haven't decided if he will make an appearance yet, Hoenheim is mentioned as well, M/M, Mentions of Death, Minor Character Death, No Automail, No alchemy either, Trisha is mentioned and referenced, and will have a bad arm, but Ed does have a bum leg, but both are consenting adults, but its an info dump for the story, chapter one will probably be the shortest chapter, pretty much all of team Mustang is in here somewhere, the age difference will be something discussed at some point, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29170200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_stream/pseuds/Star_stream
Summary: Roy Mustang has been part of the Amestris Military for the last 10 years. Due to his position in East City, the only time he’s ever seen the princes has been from photos in the paper. He even is skeptical they really exist. Edward is turning 18, and preparations are underway to pass the crown to him, at King Hoenheim’s word. He’s been through all the training, sat through various meetings with the council, Edward is well equipped to take the throne. The problem? He doesn’t want to.When there is an attack on the kingdom shortly after Edward’s 18th birthday, Roy is assigned as His personal guard. This shouldn’t be an issue—except for the fact that the prince likes to sneak out among the people. Can Roy keep him safe? Can the soon-to-be king protect his people?
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	A Soldier and His Charge

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an idea I had nibbling at my brain after reading different fics. I noticed a pattern of Roy always being the prince in these AUs so I decided to flip it.

The Kingdom of Amestris, a prosperous and peaceful kingdom. It isn't large by any means, compared to the countries that surround it, but it does well. The country is a melting pot of sorts, bringing people of different cultures together. This melting pot is the reason that Amestris became a large trading hub. The country is built of five main areas, each with its districts: Central, North Area, East Area, South Area, and West Area.

Within each area there are districts. These districts are hubs that distinguish from each other based on most common profession, population, and financial stability; moving from district to district is a common occurrence. Amestris has eleven districts: Alpha, Lima, Delta, Zulu, Fierstrom, Belim, Yis, Nipum, Helil, Nork, and Gliokon. Alpha is in the Central Area, specifically around the castle. The grounds around the castle are marked, separating the palace from the other districts. 

Within the East Area, there are 4 districts. Lima's people specialize in warfare or protective service such as the police. The main city here is East City, located in the southern half of the area. Further east is the Gliokon district, the poorest district in Amestris. The town of Youswell serves as the main city. Most skilled work in this area is based on manual labor. This can include construction, maintenance, or many others. Most of Gliokon eventually moves to other districts. To the north of Youswell is the Nipum district. This district a quiet area with no real specialties, but is considered a Holy area to some. The city of Liore serves as its center. Then in the most southern part of the East Area is the Helil district. Most of those who live in the Helil district are responsible for crops and livestock, often relied on by the rest of the country. The main point of trade and business comes from the town of Resembool.

There are 3 main districts in the Southern Area: Fierstrom, Belim, and Yis. Fierstrom, located the furthest south, is a location of military control. The military located in South City is in the midst of a war with Amestris' neighbors to the south, Aerugo. On the northern end of the South Area is Belim, which specializes in metalworking. Many of the military's weapons and tech are created in this area. The most populated area in Belim is Rush Valley. Just to the south of Belim is the Yis district. Much like Nipum, there are no specific specialties here. The city of Dublith lies in its center.

The Western Area is mostly inhabited, with district Zulu. A war with Amestris' neighbor Creta keeps most people out. West City serves as a base of operation for the military. Other than that, there isn't anything of importance in Zulu and the Western Area.

And finally, in the North Area are two districts. Up by the Briggs Mountains, which separate Amestris from its neighbor Drachma, is the Nork district. It's a snow-covered area, with a major military base by the mountain range. Only the most dedicated stay in this district. Briggs Fortress is the only major area of importance here. Closest to Central is the Delta district. This area tends to produce excellent medical professionals. Most scientists in the leading research results also come from this area. North City is the Main city in Delta.

Of course, Amestris wouldn't be the country it is without the royal family. The Elric line has held control of Amestris since its founding, and have produced many beloved kings in its time. King Hoenheim was one of those leaders. While he didn't make public appearances often or make many speeches to his people, they were happy with his rule. War hadn't been widely spread, and different districts were experiencing steady growth. It was Queen Trisha that made most public appearances; she consistently reminded their people that they were cherished and a priority. After her first child, Edward, was born, her appearances slowed but continued in important times. However, after her second child, she was no longer seen publicly. Things just went downhill after that. King Hoenheim left to see to different areas four years after Alphonse was born, but disappeared without a trace. Notes to the military came in with orders every so often, but never an explanation. This left Queen Trisha in charge of the country. Unfortunately, the queen's reign would only last approximately 4 years.

After struggling for four years, Queen Trisha passed away. She had been fighting an unknown illness during her last two years of life and left the Kingdom to her two underage sons. Being as Edward was only ten, he was unfit to take the crown, which he would take when he turned eighteen. In the eight years after, Lieutenant General Grumman had taken the lead, at Queen Trisha's request before she passed. But the crown was soon to change hands to the rightful King.

* * *

_**The Rise of the Phoenix: A New King Claims the Throne!**_

_Thirteen years have passed since former King Hoenheim disappeared, and eight years since Queen Trisha's tragic passing. Lieutenant General Grumman has held the position in the absence of the king and queen, but the buzz around the military and castle staff says we will soon welcome a new king._

_Prince Edward Elric, the first son of the king and queen, celebrated his eighteenth birthday yesterday. From what we have gathered, he will have the crown passed to him in a matter of days, bringing the reign on our new King! "It was His majesty's order that Prince Edward takes the role once he became of age," said Pinako Rockbell, who has been the Princes' nanny and caretaker their whole lives. "Her majesty expressed the same sentiment on her deathbed."_

_Our requests to interview the princes were denied, but those we spoke to expressed high hopes for Amestris! Sergeant First Class Maes Hughes had this to say: "His highness is brilliant, and has a good head on his shoulders. I have complete faith he will be able to finish what his father started." While it sounds like the prince has everything under control, others have described him as "hot-headed", "brash", and "Vulgar". It leaves us to wonder, is Amestris going into good hands? Or are we-_

_Continued on pg 5._

Colonel Roy Mustang tossed the newspaper aside, a sigh of annoyance leaving his lips. "All this talk about a new king; are we even sure it is the prince? There hasn't been a public appearance in years--hell, I'm not entirely sure what they even look like."

Jean pursed his lips as he watched Roy toss the paper aside. "What about the pictures that come in the paper sometimes?"

"They're either pictures of small children or too blurry to make anything out." Of course, they would be, no one was allowed on the castle ground without express permission from the royal family. Something that paparazzi didn't have. He grumbled a bit, rubbing the back of his head. "Even if it is the crown prince, there's no telling if he will even be a good king. He's too wet behind the ears to handle the wars going on and still do the best for Amestris."

He hummed, tucking a cigarette behind his ear. "Ya know, colonel, you could use a few lessons on optimism. That pessimism is going to come back to bite you one day." At a glare from Roy, Jean gave a nervous laugh. "I mean…"

"He's not wrong, colonel," Riza said as she walked into the room, clipboard and files in her arms. "Prince Edward will be a wonderful king." She looked at Roy out of the corner of her eye. "Just because you've never met him personally doesn't detour what possible ability he may have. Lieutenant General Grumman has expressed much enthusiasm for the Prince; he's been a part of their lives since they were born." She then turned and handed a folded paper to Roy. "Hughes wants to see you, by the way…"

Roy took the paper and opened it, reading the handwritten message quickly before tearing it apart, tucking the strips of paper into his pocket to dispose of later. "Alright," he grunted as he stood. "If he just wants to talk to me about his daughter again, I might kill him."

Riza gave him a knowing smile. "I'm sure you will, sir."

He puffed some air from his nose, a cleverly disguised smile. He gave her and Jean a half-wave as he walked out, heading down the hall to the room Hughes used whenever he was in East City. It was odd for the newly appointed Brigadier General to be in East City, having been stationed in central. He gave three harsh raps to the door, before letting himself in.

The office was rather plain since it often wasn't in use. Of course, Maes always brought pictures of his wife and daughter that he settled on the desk. Sure enough, Maes was sitting at the desk, humming happily at a photo of his daughter. His eyes flicked up as Roy came in, setting the photo down with a large grin. "Colonel! Good to see you!" He waited until the door shut before he spoke again. "How are things in good ol' East City?"

Roy sighed, pulling up a chair to sit opposite of Maes. "Nothing exciting to report. Only a few minor incidents we've had to investigate but nothing more than that." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and hands folded in front of him. "Let's cut to the chase, Maes. Why did you call me here? Riza usually gives me some kind of clue, but there was nothing. And your note was horrifically vague. 'Be ready for the worst'? What the hell does that mean?"

Maes whistled, leaning back in his seat. "All business today, eh? I shouldn't be surprised." He shifted, this time leaning forward with his arms on the desk and dropping his voice. "I just wanted to let you know, you'll be getting transferred to Central."

The noirette's brows furrowed heavily. "What?"

"A lot of soldiers are being transferred to central, some are temporary but I couldn't tell you who it would be."

"Is this because of the coronation?"

"Probably." Maes sat back a bit. "General Bradley is here, he'll be calling for a meeting soon, where he will give you guys your stations. Besides, I think you could use a change of pace."

"But to Central…" Roy pinched at the bridge of his nose. "If I end up as a damn babysitter I'm going to lose it."

He laughed. "Aw, Roy, it'll be fine! It's not so bad being in Central, there are some perks. Most of the military have their lodgings 100% paid for by royal order. And the Marketplace is real nice. I think you'd enjoy it, much better than here."

Roy opened his mouth to respond when there was a loud beep, followed by an announcement over the intercom. "All personnel head to the west hall. There is a mandatory meeting being held by the order of General Bradley. I repeat, make your way to the west hall for a mandatory meeting."

Maes hummed as the two men stood. "Well, that’s our queue. Let's go."

The West Hall could best be described as a small auditorium. Strategy meetings were often held there, but nothing of this magnitude. Soldiers were at the tables, lining the walls, some were even crouched on the ground between the tables. To say it was crowded would be an understatement. And there, in front of the projector, stood General Bradley. As far as Generals went, he was considered a legend. He had fought more wars than most of his soldiers and had the harsh grit of experience on all of them. Despite how harsh his orders could be, he was still very casual with the other soldiers when things were calm. Even now, he was smiling as he waited for everyone to arrive. Once he confirmed everyone was there, he cleared his throat.

"Good evening everyone, I hope you all have been well." There was a murmur through the room, making his chuckle. "Let's get to business then. As you may be aware, Prince Edward celebrated his 18th birthday a few days ago, and as a part of it, he will be undergoing his coronation in three to four days. This, as we know, will make him King of Amestris. However, we have received word of intercepted letters to the prince containing threats to his life." The room quickly filled with surprised and worried talking. The general let it happen for a moment, before slamming the ruler in his hand on the table several times until the room fell silent. "We have not found the source of these letters, and as such we are looking to take every precaution necessary. As such, we will be transferring some of you up to Central to aid in keeping the prince and new king safe." He looked at a clipboard on the table. "Not all of you will be going, of course; I have a list based recommendations. If your name is not listed, you are free to go. Those whose names are called will stay here for your assignments."

It took a bit for Bradley to get through the list, but once it was finished, the extra servicemen and women stepped out. List for central happened to have a fair few that Roy trusted: Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, Sergeant Kain Fuery, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Vato Falman, and Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda. That was a relief at least, he wanted his men with him. In total, fifty people were chosen to go to Central. It was a lot fewer people than Roy had expected, yet it also felt like too many. He knew Central had its share of soldiers already, so why did they need fifty additional soldiers just for this damn coronation? He knew better than to question the general, but this felt like a waste of resources.

Bradley smiled at the smaller congregation of soldiers. "Now then. When I call your name, I want you to come here so I can give you all a quick briefing of your role." The teams seemed to contain ten people each, making only five of them total. Roy's group happened to contain Jean, Riza, Kain, Vato, and Heymans, much to the colonel's relief. He would have been angry to have his team so spread. Joining them were four others he had never really noticed before.

"Excellent, our fifth and final group," Bradley mused as he looked at them easily. "You will be on watch. Hawkeye, I'm giving you a very important task, observation from above. You will have access inside the palace and they will lead you to the highest point. Your orders are to shoot suspicious or threatening figures on the grounds." He looked to Vato and Kain. "Which is where you two come in. Fuery, you and corporal Summers will be staying with Hawkeye as communications. Anything Hawkeye needs to report will go from you…" He pointed to Vato. "To Falman and Major Atlas. This works in the reverse as well; if you think you see something, alert Hawkeye to look into it. You four will report to Major General Armstrong." He looked down at his clipboard again. "Havoc, you are assigned to guard Prince Alphonse. Grumman will be watching Prince Edward, so he needs no personal guard." He smiled as he looked at Roy. "Mustang, Breda, I want you to join Sergent First Class Rivier and Sergeant Major Titus in patrols. Rivier and Titus will be patrolling inside the palace and will report to Lieutenant General Armstrong. Mustang and Breda will be joining the outer patrols of the grounds. Brigadier General Hughes will brief you on your assigned patrol routes."

Roy had to hold in a grimace. Of course, he had been assigned the outer patrol. It felt like such a demotion to be just a patrolman. But, he supposed, there was nothing to be done. He had a job to do. He watched Bradley set his clipboard down, before dismissing the watch team. Once Roy was out of the room, and out of earshot, he groaned and ran a hand down his face. "Patrol? Really?" He frowned when he heard Maes laughing behind him. The colonel whipped around with a deep scowl, before stomping over. "You knew! You knew from the beginning!"

Maes continued to laugh, hands up in mock surrender. "It's not so bad, Roy. I patrol the grounds during the night, it's nice!" He put his hands down when Roy backed off. "Besides, I've already placed you in the largest, and most important area to patrol. You'll enjoy it."

**Author's Note:**

> And that's that! The beginning of this chapter is very info heavy, which is my bad. You don't really need to remember that stuff for now, but they will be brought up later. But starting in chapter 2 we will see the Elrics in their troublemaking glory. Well, Ed's the troublemaker. This will probably be the shortest chapter of the fic. There are also a few OCs scattered throughout the story, but they don't play any big roles. I have another fic I need to update before I get to chapter two so have patience! 
> 
> PS, the chapter titles are German, cookie bytes to those who catch on to what they mean.


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